Live for Us
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After the quincy war, the royal council elects not to pursue a rebirth of the true king for as long as the reiatsu in the dead quincy king's body can sustain the balance of souls. Guided by his loyalty to Reio, Katsuro Abarai escapes with an artifact he plans to use to defy the council and bring forth the new king...yaoi, mpreg...Renji/Byakuya, Katsuro/Tetsuya, Aizen/Urahara


**Live for Us**

**By Spunky0ne**

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**(Hey guys, it's that time again! Yes, as the embers of hot August flare, here comes Redstravaganzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! A celebration of Soul Society's favorite, lovable, adorkable reiatsu monster, Renji Abarai. Fasten your seatbelts, kids, because this one's a toasty treat. This is an all new story, not a repost and is lovingly dedicated to my fellow packmate and good friend, SesshomaruFreak. Love you, Sesh...and all of my Renji-loving friends out there too! Cheers, Spunky)**

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_**After the war with the quincies, the royal council elects to hide the death of Reio and his consort and not to pursue a rebirth for as long as the reiatsu in the dead quincy king's body can sustain the balance of souls. Guided by his loyalty to the king, king's Samruai, Katsuro Abarai steals an artifact that he plans to use to defy the council and bring forth the new king. But the effort will require the samurai to reconnect with the son who doesn't know he still exists…yaoi, mpreg…Renji/Byakuya, Katsuro/Tetsuya**_

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**Chapter 1: Melting Ice**

Dressed in black and carefully concealed within an alcove of the meeting chamber of the royal council, a tall, cinnamon-eyed man with fiery auburn and silver hair in a long braid watched as the council met to address the glaring facts of the end of the quincy war.

_Or as they choose to call it, the Soul King Protection War, _the man thought bitterly, _Only, we failed at protecting our king and his consort, and this was not even the first time…a fact that they don't want to face, a fact that they would probably kill to hide…if they could find me._

_But, I don't plan on letting that happen._

_Reio, _he thought solemnly, _I know that you foresaw the tolls of the war, and that you accepted death for yourself and Hajime for the noblest of reasons, but I wonder now why you chose to entrust your rebirths to me…and why it had to wait so long. Even before this war, the one who sat on the throne was a lie, one placed there by the defiant elite lords of the royal council, who took advantage of the last war with the quincies to prevent your rebirth. I did as you asked. I stole the prism and kept it safe for all of this time. I suppose I should be relieved that it is finally time to act. At very least, it means that I can see my son again._

His heart was a heavier weight than the stolen artifact he carried, one that the king had warned him he must not lose. The red-haired man closed his eyes as the king's shocking orders returned to him.

_Katsuro slipped into the shadows of the king's gardens, taking his time at carefully eluding the council spies that had been assigned to watch him. He crept back into the palace, avoiding the eyes of the watchful guards, and made his way to the balcony outside the king's bedchamber. There he waited until the doors were opened by an attendant and he made his entry. He remained in the shadows of the room until the attendant left and the king and consort were alone, then he stepped out and knelt in front of the royal couple._

"_Katsuro," Reio sighed in a relieved tone, "thank you for coming."_

"_And thank you for your discretion," Hajime added._

"_Of course," the samurai said quietly, his cinnamon colored eyes radiating with concern, "You know that I am committed to seeing to your protection."_

"_Yes," Reio said, nodding and glancing at his lovely consort, "and Hajime and I deeply appreciate that. This is why we have called you here. Hajime and I need your protection, but…it is going to require some…unusual methods to achieve."_

"_Unusual methods?" Katsuro chuckled, "Well, you know that I have no problem abandoning the rules when it's necessary. What is it that you need me to do?"_

_The king's strangely radiant golden eyes turned sad and he slipped an arm around Hajime._

"_Katsuro, you are aware that I see, not just the future, but an array of possible futures, and from among those, I carefully judge when I must and must not act as king."_

"_Yes, I know this," Katsuro assured the monarch._

"_You also know that sometimes to achieve the best outcome for the three worlds, we must take a difficult path and we must suffer."_

"_Yes," Katsuro said in an uneasy tone, "Why do I not like how this conversation is turning?"_

_Hajime's warm, comforting smile gave him a slight respite, but couldn't completely shake his worry._

"_You are wise," the consort answered softly, "You are going to need to use every ounce of that wisdom to protect us."_

"_Why is that?" Katsuro asked, "Your majesties, is there a threat to you? Just tell me and I will stop it. Whatever it is, whoever it is, I will…"_

"_I am afraid you cannot stop this enemy," the king said, closing his eyes for a moment, "It is not a single enemy we face, but an inescapable darkness that approaches."_

"_You mean…the quincies?"_

"_I mean the quincies in part," the king affirmed, "but not just the enemy approaching us now. My samurai…"_

_The king trailed off and the arm holding Hajime tightened. Katsuro's dark eyes widened._

"_My lord, what is it?" he asked urgently, "What can I do?"_

"_I am sorry," the king apologized, "I do not mean to let my courage waver, but I have seen that there is no way for Hajime and for me to survive this conflict."_

"_My king!" the samurai gasped._

"_Our souls are transcendent, but to remain connected to the worlds I created, Hajime and I must undergo rebirth."_

"_Okay," Katsuro said, placing a hand over his racing heart, "You've told me about that. It's pretty scary, but it's not really dying permanently, right?"_

_Reio and Hajime exchanged worried glances._

"_The process requires death to begin the rebirth, and it requires that our souls be placed within the prism to await the growth of new bodies. Unfortunately, although the procedure for rebirth is straightforward, our path, this time, is not. I have seen that the enemy approaching will overcome us, because we are at the end of our cycle."_

"You can't be saying that the quincies are going to win," Katsuro objected, "My lord, only let_ me fight for you! I promise you…"_

"_You will not fail me," the king finished, "I know that. I also know that I can trust you to put your faith in me and in my vision. The way will be dangerous and very difficult for you, but…if you are successful, then we will be reborn."_

_The king paused and took a steadying breath._

"_Just…not for another thousand years."_

The memory faded and the king's samurai found himself back in the council chambers, listening as the elite nobles continued their defiance of the true king.

"My friends," Grand Councilor Isayama said solemnly, "I know you are all as relieved as I am that Reio's visions protected us all from death."

_Though, you all deserve to die, _Katsuro thought, scowling, _The true Reio may forgive your treachery, but I do not._

"Now that we have returned safely from the pocket dimension he sent us to, we can begin the monumental task of picking up the pieces and going on. Reio has fallen, but Squad Zero and Urahara Kisuke have managed to use the quincy king's dead body to manage the balance of souls. It has been reported to me by Squad Zero that the reiatsu of the quincy king with take about a thousand years to diminish, which means, we can approach rebuilding and restoring the king at a less frantic pace."

Isayama paused as one of the silver-haired councilors stood.

"Are you saying that you intend to subvert the king's will and his rebirth for _another _thousand years?" the man asked in a commanding tone.

"Lord Kuchiki," the grand councilor said, shaking his head, "you have not been recognized by the council. I realize that you did not like having to go along with the king's wishes…"

"It is not the king's wishes to be held back from returning!" Ginrei snapped angrily.

"Lord Kuchiki…"

"I was advised by the true king to go along with you all to a point," Ginrei continued, "but you have made it clear that you plan to make this rebirth wait as long as you can."

"Of course not," Isayama, insisted, "I am only saying that we have to proceed with due caution. After all, we don't even have the king's prism. How can we attempt a rebirth without it?"

Ginrei cleared his throat and straightened.

"I did not say that _we_ would be attempting a rebirth," he announced.

Sounds of dismay broke out all over the council chambers and Isayama glared at his colleague.

"What are you saying?" he demanded, "Do you plan to rebel against this council? Remember that you are sworn…"

"_To serve the king_!" Ginrei said adamantly.

"You are sworn to obey the will of this council in the absence of the king!" Isayama shouted as the sounds around the room sharpened.

"I sincerely doubt that rule applies when it is the council that is preventing the return of the king!" Ginrei shouted back, his eyes flaring.

"Councilor Kuchiki, you have been warned and you are out of order and defying the council. You must cease to disrupt this meeting or I will have you removed to the council holding area!"

"You threaten to put me in a cell when it is you who dare to defy the will of your rightful king?" Ginrei roared, "You and any who stand with you are backstabbers and _cowards_! While you would not dare to defy him while he was with us, you defy him when he is most in need of your loyalty. I assure you, the king was not blind to your penchant for treachery, and he will not be thwarted…and I dare say that when he comes back, he will certainly be rethinking who he will place his trust in from now on."

The grand councilor's eyes narrowed and his reiatsu swelled viciously around him.

"Very well, Ginrei Kuchiki," he growled, "You have chosen your path. Guards, remove Councilor Kuchiki to holding!"

"Oh, Souta," Ginrei laughed in a low, sarcastic voice, "Do you really not understand? Reio _knew_ you would turn on him before it ever crossed your minds, and he planned what to do. Has it escaped you that neither the prism nor the king's samurai have ever surfaced? Not once since the deaths of the king and consort have either of them been seen. That wasn't a coincidence."

"Hold," the grand councilor said to the guards, holding up a hand, "Ginrei, you are saying that you have known the location of the samurai and the prism for all of this time, and you never informed the council? That is a serious crime…a crime worthy of a death penalty if it is proven."

"I never said that I knew where they were. I only confess to having been asked by the king to give you this message now."

"What?" Isayama snarled, glowering.

"His majesty forgives you for your transgression and he asks you to allow the rebirth to take place now. I am commanded by royal edict to declare a vote so that each of us will state his loyalty…or his defiance. Let all who support the return of the true king stand up for him now!"

"Order!" the grand councilor howled as about half of the council stood and the ones who remained seated broke out in shouted objections, "You cannot call a vote. Where is your proof that this message even comes from the king?"

Ginrei's hand rose, exposing the king's crest that glowed in the center of his palm.

"ARREST ALL OF THEM!" Isayama ordered the guards, "You will all hang for your lies and deceit!"

"Do not dare to touch the chosen of the king," Ginrei warned him, "Look upon the realization of his will and be ready to beg for his forgiveness!"

Katsuro took a steadying breath and stepped out into the open and reaching into his clothing to remove and display the lovely crystal prism he had protected for so long.

"If you choose to continue in your betrayal of the king, then know that the price for doing so will be all of your lives."

"Oh," Isayama countered in a deep, spiteful voice, "it will not be us who will die, but all of you. You were foolish to come here, knowing how this would be received, but I suppose you can only be as wise as the king you follow. Now, you will pay! GET THEM!"

The grand councilor and all of the seated councilors made sounds of dismay as Katsuro, Ginrei and all of their supporters' bodies suddenly popped and disappeared.

"Decoys!" Souta hissed, "Find them. Don't let them out of the dimension!"

"Ginrei is likely to try to escape using the entrance to the Kuchiki archive," one of the councilors warned, "and if these were decoys, then they have a head start. We won't be able to stop them from leaving."

The grand councilor took a slow, deep breath and released it in long exhale.

"Very well," he said more calmly, "They will escape, but we can follow…and we can make sure that they do not return. Not everyone thinks a strong king is the answer to our problems. Not all of us thinks there needs to be a king…just a quiet figurehead. We know our best interests. We will see to them without his interference."

"Who will we send who can track them and stop them from completing the rebirth?" one of the remaining councilors asked.

Souta smiled and his powerful eyes glinted.

"Leave that to me," he answered cryptically, "Right now, focus on what is most important. We should contact the Kuchiki leader and inform him of his grandfather's _disappearance_."

"You mean, we are going to try to get Byakuya to betray his own kin to us?" another councilor objected, "He will never cooperate."

"No," Souta agreed, "but…perhaps, if Byakuya was detained and brought here, it might lure Ginrei and the samurai into the open. Go then," he urged his own two council attendants, "Asuga and Aieka. Go quickly to Kuchiki Manor and bring Byakuya here."

The council watched as the two attendants disappeared.

"Do you really think that a couple of attendants will be able to compel Byakuya to come here?" a female councilor asked.

"Oh, I assure you," Souta said quietly, "Asuga and Aieka are capable…extremely capable. Byakuya has no idea what he is about to face with them."

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Tetsuya Kuchiki wore a little blush on his face and throat as he and Renji Abarai walked slowly around the manor gardens, close, but respectfully separate.

"Renji-san," the blue-eyed Kuchiki complained softly, "I thought you were going to tell him this time."

"I am…I was…I m-mean, I'm ah…getting to it," Renji stammered, "I just…he was _there _in that really beautiful kimono."

"He has a council meeting today," Tetsuya chuckled, "I should be there with him, you know. I am his bodyguard. I think you have done one thing."

"Oh? What's that?"

Tetsuya laughed softly.

"I think you've fooled him into believing that you are really interested in me. Why don't you ever just tell him? I confessed to you that he indicated to me that he likes you. He only holds back because…"

"I know," Renji sighed, "He holds back because he is a noble leader and I am…"

"No!" Tetsuya exclaimed, taking his friends' hand in his and squeezing it gently, "He doesn't say anything because he is waiting for you to make the first move. Byakuya-sama is just like that."

"But why?" Renji asked in an exasperated tone, "I don't get why he doesn't say anything. You know I'm not subtle, here."

"No, you are not," Tetsuya agreed.

"So, he's gotta know. I just don't understand. If he really wants me, then why is he not doing anything about it?"

Tetsuya's sapphire eyes softened and saddened.

"Maybe," he said more softly, "it is because the last time my cousin offered his love to someone, she died. He has always blamed himself for turning her fate in that direction."

"But Hisana didn't die because of him, she died because of the damage from her life in the Rukongai."

"No," Tetsuya explained, "Hisana-sama's body was damaged, and she would not have lived a normal length of time, but…the truth is…"

"What?" Renji asked anxiously, "Tetsuya, what are you telling me?"

Tetsuya took a shaky breath.

"You must not tell him that you heard this from me. I am only saying it to you because I think you really need to know what troubles him. Byakuya-sama blames himself because…Hisana-sama died due to a pregnancy."

"What?"

"The council wanted an heir. Hisana-sama knew this. They disagreed over what to do and Byakuya-sama had decided that he would allow the clan healer to attempt to awaken my breeder ability, so they could place several fertilized eggs in my body and I could bear their child for them. But…it seems that Hisana-sama learned that the pregnancy would be risky for me too, and she couldn't bear the thought of me being hurt. She had the kindest heart. She instead somehow procured a broken pregnancy charm, and she allowed herself to be impregnated. There was nothing that could be done. Family law does not allow the ending of an heir's life, even to save the mother. Hisana-sama hoped that her strength would hold out, but weeks shy of the due date, she collapsed and she and the baby died together."

"Oh my god…" Renji breathed softly, "No wonder."

"I know because I was there with them to the end," Tetsuya continued, "My heart broke for them, so after Hisana-sama's passing, I respected a promise that I made to her during her last days."

"And, what was that?" asked Renji.

"I promised Hisana-sama that I would use whatever healing power I must to see that Byakuya-sama endured, and that he would listen to his heart if ever he felt himself falling in love again."

"So, you're what? Byakuya's little love angel or something?" Renji giggled.

"Do not dare mock me!" Tetsuya objected.

"I wasn't mocking you," Renji laughed, "I was just making a joke."

Tetsuya scowled.

"I am less than amused," he snapped, releasing Renji's hand, "and if you want my help, then…"

"Hey, take it easy," Renji said placatingly, "I didn't mean it."

"Ahem," Byakuya said suddenly, making the two younger men stiffen and catch their breath in surprise, "Renji, are you being ungentlemanly with my cousin?"

"Eh…ah…n-no!" Renji stammered, "I just…I…well uh…"

"What Renji-san meant to say," Tetsuya said, shooting Renji a look of warning, "is that we…have mutually decided that we do not wish to see each other."

"What?" Renji squawked, "Tetsuya!"

"Instead," Tetsuya continued, ignoring the redhead completely, "Renji wishes to make a confession about his true intentions."

"Oh crap," Renji panted, his eyes widening, "Um…uh…."

"Abarai," Byakuya said, frowning, "what is this all about? Are you dishonoring Tetsuya…for another lover?"

"What? NO!" Renji shouted.

"Then…"

"The truth is," Renji managed, his voice shaking, "Tetsuya and I haven't been seeing each other."

"Hmm?" Byakuya inquired, blinking in surprise.

"See," Renji went on, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "Tetsuya found out that I…like someone. I like someone, but when that someone looked like he might figure it out, I got scared that he might not be interested, so I uh…pretended to like Tetsuya instead."

"You…?"

"I knew all about it, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya added quickly, "and I wanted to help Renji-san to approach the one he loves."

"Eh-heh," Renji laughed nervously, "Yeah, he was just being nice, helping me out."

"And…who would this other person be?" Byakuya asked, "Not that Shiba boy."

"Erm, Ichigo? No," Renji answered, shaking his head.

"Your friend, Hisagi, then?" Byakuya guessed.

"Nah, we're just really good friends," Renji sighed.

Byakuya stared at him silently, and Renji found suddenly that he couldn't take the tension any more.

"Aw, c'mon, Captain!" he complained, "You know how I look at you. We're together in that office every day and I'm not the subtlest person! You have to have noticed. Didn't you? I thought maybe you did know and you were trying to be nice but discouraging. I don't know! You're not an easy guy to figure out, you know! You don't make it easier."

"Hmm," Byakuya said, the faint touch of a smile turning the corners of his lips upward, "I suppose I do not, however, I have to be honest that I was not sure about your intentions. Your eyes did seem to be stealing a lot of looks, but you never said anything."

"Y-yeah," Renji sighed, "my tongue gets kinda tied whenever I try to talk to you about stuff like that. I mean, you're the leader of the greatest noble family and I am…"

"The person I care for," Byakuya interjected, stopping the redhead in his tracks, "What is it, Renji? You look certain I am about to reject you."

"Aren't you?" Renji asked, shaking his head, "I mean, you and I are different…really different. And even though we like each other, you're…"

"Capable of making my own decisions about who I will love," Byakuya said firmly.

"But, what about the council and heirs and all that?" Renji asked, his cinnamon eyes betraying his sudden hopefulness.

Byakuya let out a soft, dismissive breath.

"Why don't we just make a beginning?" he suggested, "How do you feel about having dinner with…?"

He paused, looking at the empty place Tetsuya had occupied only moments before.

"Ah, I see that my cousin has chosen to slip away…so, we are alone now. Would you…like to have dinner with me, Renji?"

"Yeah," the redhead laughed, grinning helplessly, "Yeah, I would."

Tetsuya watched from a short distance away with a black Arabian stallion standing at his shoulder and peeking through the bushes with him.

"Finally, Arashi," the young man sighed, "They've avoided this for so long. I…"

Tetsuya broke off, his eyes rounding in surprise as a hand touched his shoulder and he found that he couldn't move. Arashi, too, seemed frozen in place.

"Shh," hissed a low, male voice, "remain calm. I'm not going to hurt you."

The man stepped in front of them and Tetsuya gasped inwardly at the tall, red-haired warrior.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you, there," Katsuro apologized, "but…Tetsuya Kuchiki, I need your help."


End file.
